Synchronous alarm clock mechanism

ABSTRACT

The specification discloses an arrangement for a clock, such as an electrical driven alarm clock. The clock is provided with indexable date indicating means and with day-night indicating means and with actuators in the form of levers for actuating the said means. The clock includes a shaft rotatable once every 24 hours and this shaft carries a single cam disc with a single cam track thereon and both of the aforementioned levers engage the cam track and are actuated thereby.

United States Patent Trimpler [451. June 27, 1972 [54] SYNCHRONOUS ALARM CLOCK MECHANISM [72] lnventor: Walter Trirnpler, Numberg, Germany [73] Assignee: Dlehl, Nurnberg, Gennany [22] Filed: Jan. 11', 1971 21] App]. No.: 105,217

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 14, 1970 Germany ..G 70 01 038.7

[52] US. Cl ..58/5, 58/19, 58/58 [51] Int. Cl. G041) 19/24 [58] Field oiSearch ..58/4,5,6, 19, 42.5, 43,58

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,014,168 9/1935 Canepa... ..$8/5

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 443,953 3/1936 Great Britain ..58/43 Primary Examiner-Richard Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Edith C. Simmons Attorney-Walter Becker 57] ABSTRACT The specification discloses an arrangement for a clock, such as an electrical driven alarm clock. The clock is provided with indexable date indicating means and with day-night indicating means and with actuators in the form of levers for actuating the said means. The clock includes a shaft rotatable once every 24 hours and this shaft carries a single cam disc with a single carn track thereon and both of the aforementioned levers engage the cam track and are actuated thereby.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJuxzv m2 SHEET 10F 2 mmvrox. Walter TRIM PLER PATENTEnJum m2 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. Walter TRIMPI P SYNCHRONOUS ALARM CIDCK MECHANISM The present invention relates to a synchronous alarm clock with date and also with day and night indications.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a synchronous alarm clock in which the date as well as the day and night indications are actuated by the same control means and in which theactuating means consist of a few simple elements which are the same for the date as well as for the day and night indications.

These objects and other objects and advantages of memvention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 isometrically illustrates a device for turning a date tion is characterized primarilyin that the advancing means for turning a date carrier and the actuating means for adjusting a day-night indication are controlled by a cam disc which is common to bothfunctions and which is drivingly connected with the pointer mechanism.

According to a particularly advantageous. design of the present invention, the track of the cam disc may comprise a cam valley section and a cam crest section, while both cam sections cover the same angular amount and while a feeler lever of a date advancing pawl is offset relative to a feeler lever for the day-night indication by approximately 90, the arrangement being such that the date advance at midnight and the dayvnight indication approximately at 6:00 A.M. is adjusted for 'day indication and at about 6:00 P.M. is adjusted for night indication.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the arrangement shown therein comprises a plate 1 having journalled therein a shaft 2 of a pointer mechanism not shown in the drawings. A cam disc 3 is connected to said shaft 2. This cam disc 3 has a cam track which is composed of two arced sections which are coaxial with the axis of rotation of disc 3 but respectively have difierent radii. That section with the smaller radius defines a cam valley section 4, whereas the section with the greater radius defines a cam crest section 5. .The merging portions between said sections 4 and 5 are formed by inclined sections 6, 6. The cam sections 4, 5 are adapted in an area above shaft 2 to be engaged by a feeler lever 7 which is rigidly connected to a date control lever 8 and which is connected to a shaft 9 journalled in plate 1. A tension spring 10 pulls the feeler lever 7 against the cam disc 4, 5. The control lever 8 has an angledofi car 11 the movement of which is limited by an abutment formed by an arm 12 on plate 1. The end of the control lever 8 forms a pawl 13 which is adapted to engage tooth-shaped cuts or ratchets 14 provided on the circumference of a date disc 15. In conformity with 31 days of a month, there are provided 3 l cuts or teeth 14 and date numbers on disc 15. The date disc is easily rotatably mounted on a hollow shafi 16 having coaxially arranged thereto pointer shafts 40 and 41. Dot-dash lines within the region of the pawl 13 indicate a cutout 17 through which the date appears. A ratchet spring 18 is positively suspended on an ear 22 of the plate 1, said ear 22 being provided with protrusions. A bent spring end 23 engages the date disc in a respective cutout 14 thereof.

A second feeler lever 25, which is connected to a day-night indicating lever 24, is adapted in an offset arrangement by 90 relative to the feeler lever 7 to feel the cam disc 3 along the cam path 4, 5 thereof. Feeler lever 25 is connected to a shaft 26 journalled in plate 1 and is, by means of a spring 27, pulled These sections will appear depending on the position of the cam disc 3 in a dial window 31 indicated by dot-dash lines.

The operation of the above described date and day-night indicating device will now be described in connection with FIGS. 1-5 while the position of cam disc 3 is the same in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Cam disc 3 is over a period of 24 hours completely rotated once in counter-clockwise direction. Consequently, a rotation corresponds to the expiration of 6 hours. The inclined sections 6, 6 correspond to cam sections of approximately indicating one-fourth hour each. The track sections of cam section 4 and cam section 5 are of the same angular magnitude and therefore each comprises not quite 12 hours.

The position of the feeler lever 25 of the day and night indication 28 and the position of disc 3 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, correspond to the clock time shortly before 6:00 o'clock in the morning which is illustrated by the bright-dark border line of the sections 30, 29 in window 31. From 6:00 oclockin the morning, the indication in the window is bright or white. The spring 27 on feeler lever 25 is preloaded by the rising incline '6, whereas spring 10 pertaining to the feeler lever 7 offset in clockwise direction by 90 in cam section 4 is nearly relaxed.

As will be seenfrom FIG. 3, after a 90 rotation ofdisc 3, in other words, shortly before l2:00 o'clock noon, the feeler lever 7 is lifted by the inclined section 6. Analogous to the spring 27, spring 10 will now be loaded and the feeler lever 7 is pivoted in clockwise direction. It will be appreciated that pawl 13 will then engage the next following cut 14 or tooth pertaining thereto.

According to the showing of FIG. 4, disc 3 is shown after a further 90 rotation and, more specifically, in a position shortly before 6:00 o'clock in the afiemoon. The feeler lever 7, in view of the pull exerted by spring 24, is pulled into the cam section 4 whereby the disc section 29 will appear in the window 31.

Shortly before midnight, as will be seen from FIG. 5, the feeler lever 7 will, in view of the thrust of spring 10, slide into the cam section 4 and will pivot pawl vl3 in counterclockwise direction while advancing the date disc 15' by one tooth pitch. The ratchet spring 18 drops into the next following cut 14. In the dial cutout 17, there will appear the date of the next day. The further movement is then repeated in the manner described above.

According to the modification of FIG. 6, the feeler levers 7, 25,.which are of the same shape, are through the intervention of stepped shafts 32, 36; 33, 37 fixedly connected to the indicating lever 24 and date advancing lever 8 respectively. For purposes of journalling shafts 32, 36 and 33, 37 in plate 1, the latter is provided with cutouts 34 and 35 which are respectively engaged by shaft sections 36, 37 of reduced diameter. The springs. 10 and 27, which on one hand are connected to the plate 1, respectively engage the feeler levers 7 and 25 and serve on one hand to secure the positions of shaft 32, 36; 33,37 in cutouts 34 and 35 and on the other hand serve as power storage means for the feeler levers 7, 25. In this way, the assembly can be effected without tools and by unskilled labor in a short period and in an easy manner.

For purposes of correcting the date indication, the bottom of the housing for the alarm clock is, within the region of the date disc 15, provided with a cutout which will permit by means of a finger or a tool to turn the date disc 15.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a clock having a frame and a day-night indicator and a date indicator; a shaft in the clock which makes one complete rotation in 24 hours, a cam disc fixedly mounted on said shaft, a first lever pivoted in said frame for actuating said day-night indicator, a second lever pivoted in said frame for actuating said date indicator, and each said lever having a nose engaging said cam disc.

2. A clock according to claim 1 in which said levers are disposed in said frame in such a manner that the said noses thereof engage said cam disc at spaced points, said cam disc having a single cam surface thereon and both of said noses engaging said cam surface.

3. A clock according to claim 2 in which said cam surface has a valley region and a crest region joined by rises at opposite ends of the valley region, said valley region and crest region being of about equal angular extent measured above the axis of said shaft, said noses engaging said cam surface at points spaced angularly about 90 from each other, said first lever actuating said day-night indicator at about 6:00 A.M. and at about 6:00 P.M., and said second lever actuating said date indicator at about 12:00 midnight.

4. A clock according to claim 3 in which said cam surface faces radially outwardly and each of said crest and valley regions are in the form of circular arcs.

5. A clock according to claim 1 in which said frame comprises a plate in which said date indicator and said day-night indicator are mounted, a pair of notches formed in said plate, shaft elements journaled in said notches, said first and second levers being fixed to respective ones of said shaft elements, and spring means acting on said levers and pressing the noses thereof toward said cam disc while simultaneously securing said shaft elements in said notches.

6. A clock according to claim in which said levers are identical and said shaft elements and notches are also identical in size and shape.

7. A clock according to claim 3 which includes spring means acting on said levers to hold the noses thereof in engagement with said cam disc, said second lever and date indicator comprising cooperating elements of a ratchet drive, said drive being operable to advance said date indicator when the nose of said second lever moves from said crest region of said cam surface to said valley region thereof, the spring means acting on said second lever actuating said drive and storing power when the nose of said second lever moves from said valley region of said cam surface to said crest region thereof.

8. A clock according to claim 7 in which said date indicator is in the form of a date disc rotatable in said frame and bearing date indicia viewable through a window in said frame, said disc having a peripheral region exposed for manual angular adjustment thereof.

9. A clock according to claim 8 in which the periphery of said date disc has peripheral notches engageable by a pawl actuated by said second lever, and detent means in said frame engaging the periphery of said date disc for releasably holding 

1. In a clock having a frame and a day-night indicator and a date indicator; a shaft in the clock which makes one complete rotation in 24 hours, a cam disc fixedly mounted on said shaft, a first lever pivoted in said frame for actuating said day-night indicator, a second lever pivoted in said frame for actuating said date indicator, and each said lever having a nose engaging said cam disc.
 2. A clock according to claim 1 in which said levers are disposed in said frame in such a manner that the said noses thereof engage said cam disc at spaced points, said cam disc having a single cam surface thereon and both of said noses engaging said cam surface.
 3. A clock according to claim 2 in which said cam surface has a valley region and a crest region joined by rises at opposite ends of the valley region, said valley region and crest region being of about equal angular extent measured above the axis of said shaft, said noses engaging said cam surface at points spaced angularly about 90* from each other, said first lever actuating said day-night indicator at about 6:00 A.M. and at about 6:00 P.M., and said second lever actuating said date indicator at about 12:00 midnight.
 4. A clock according to claim 3 in which said cam surface faces radially outwardly and each of said crest and valley regions are in the form of circular arcs.
 5. A clock according to claim 1 in which said frame comprises a plate in which said date indicator and said day-night indicator are mounted, a pair of notches formed in said plate, shaft elements journaled in said notches, said first and second levers being fixed to respective ones of said shaft elements, and spring means acting on said levers and pressing the noses thereof toward said cam disc while simultaneously securing said shaft elements in said notches.
 6. A clock according to claim 5 in which said levers are identical and said shaft elements and notches are also identical in size and shape.
 7. A clock according to claim 3 which includes spring means acting on said levers to hold the noses thereof in engagement with said cam disc, said second lever and date indicator comprising cooperating elements of a ratchet drive, said drive being operable to advance said date indicator when the nose of said second lever moves from said crest region of said cam surface to said valley region thereof, the spring means acting on said second lever actuating said drive and storing power when the nose of said second lever moves from said valley region of said cam surface to said crest region thereof.
 8. A clock according to claim 7 in which said date indicator is in the form of a date disc rotatable in said frame and bearing date indicia viewable through a window in said frame, said disc having a peripheral region exposed for manual angular adjustment thereof.
 9. A clock according to claim 8 in which the periphery of said date disc has peripheral notches engageable by a pawl actuated by said second lever, and detent means in said frame engaGing the periphery of said date disc for releasably holding the date disc in indexed angular positions thereof. 